Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hardly put a foot wrong for Manchester United so far, but he has to be careful not to change the team too much. With only two points separating The Red Devils from the top four prior to this weekend’s fixtures, there is still so much to play for.
One of the standout messages from the Norwegian’s first press conference, when he returned to Carrington in mid-December, was the emphasis on providing all the players in the squad with chances to impress him.
"“For me, as a manager now, it’s great because you have to rotate, so you will get to see many players and they’ll get the chance.“Everyone in the squad knows that ‘I’ve got a chance now’ because whatever has gone, whatever has happened has happened. Now it’s just about from here.“Everyone starts with a clean slate and we want players to perform, and we’ll give them the chance.” [Telegraph]"
A policy which, when you first walk into a job and see 20-odd players staring back at you in the face, is a correct one. Not just for the player’s sakes but for yours as a manager too. You need to know which players can do what in certain positions.
Manchester United found their strongest XI against Cardiff!
In the lead up to the Cardiff City match, Solskjaer’s first as interim boss, he would have been having conversations with both Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna about what team they believe should be Manchester United’s strongest.
Because, let’s not forget, as much as Solskjaer said he wants to give players chances, the job description would have said, top four is the target.
Had Manchester United not beat Cardiff so convincingly, I’m sure Solskjaer would have then provided other players with an opportunity. But they won 5-1. Stop, right there. You’ve found your strongest eleven.
Ashley Young and Luke Shaw playing as high fullbacks. Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba in midfield pressing hard to win back the ball. Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial attacking with such speed and venom.
The system and the formula worked. Move on to Huddersfield and try to replicate exactly the same.
Solskjaer stuck to his beliefs
But the Norwegian then reverted back to his core message rather than continuing the momentum of a winning team. In came Fred and Juan Mata for Ander Herrera and the injured Anthony Martial. United struggled for much of the game but came out on top 3-1 winners.
The squad then made the trip further north to play Newcastle, Solskjaer again makes a change as Juan Mata comes in for Jesse Lingard. After wholesale swaps in the FA Cup against Reading, the United boss, once again, returns to first starting and beats Spurs at Wembley.
A victory against Brighton followed by multiple changes in the FA Cup against Arsenal, before a sloppy display against Burnley in the week. And this shocked me.
I understand making changes for the FA Cup. It allows key players to have a rest and with the talent, in United’s squad they should have enough quality to beat most teams. But returning to league action against Burnley, why would you not return to the starting eleven which has delivered consistently over the past few weeks when they have played together.
Why is Solskjaer keen on changing the team regularly?
It keeps players on their toes knowing there is healthy competition and also the Norwegian may be putting players on a stage to perform ahead of a new manager arriving in the summer. But, United can still reach the top four, easily. They can still win the FA Cup – with a number of Premier League sides having been knocked out they have a great chance too.
I understand why Ole said what he did in his first press conference. Telling the players everyone will have opportunities gets everyone on board straight away. However, I feel he is sticking too closely to his red lines.
Why he has to be careful!
No team has ever been successful because of the number of changes to the team they make every week. Teams who have won titles are infamously known for using as little of their squad as possible and playing the same players every week to enhance their chemistry on and off the pitch.
I have no problem with Solskjaer giving a player an opportunity, but there is a time and place to do it. Certain opposition requires certain players and tactics too, but had United picked up three points in the week, they could have been level on points with Chelsea in fourth.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but definitely something you can learn from. With many of the top six sides dropping points in the week United can’t afford to take many more liberties. Perhaps they should stick to an old saying, “never change a winning team.”